Pre Med Advice for 1st Years (or any year!)

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Virginia
1

<p>As many know, the pre-med track can be pretty challenging. It is important to excel to the best of your ability while taking a demanding course load. The following pre-med reqs are required: 1 year of general biology with lab, 1 year of general chemistry with lab, 1 year of organic chemistry with lab, and 1 year of physics with lab. My best advice is to take these courses in that order. I would not recommend taking physics and organic chemistry within the same academic year. Some students may find that they excel in the more introductory courses, such as biology or chemistry, and struggle with the more challenging courses such as organic chemistry and physics. The best rookie advice I can give is SEEK HELP when it's needed. There is no shame in asking for help and reaching out to a tutor. In fact, getting a private tutor was my saving grace while taking my pre med courses! For anyone looking for an excellent pre-med tutor, whether it be one on one session, or a small group session, I would HIGHLY recommend Steve Donaldson (Premed</a> Tutor) (<a href="mailto:srd2z@virginia.edu">srd2z@virginia.edu</a>). He is amazingly brilliant in ALL courses (orgo, chem, and physics). He also has MCAT (medical college admission test) tutoring available. Along with his strong academic background, he is extremely personable and makes a personal investment in his students. I used Steve as my tutor throughout my college career, and my grades improved significantly 1.5-2 letter grades! He is priced reasonably and located close enough near Grounds where 1st years can reach him via University Bus System. Despite Steve being my tutor, he also served as my academic mentor, in which he was able to provide beneficial insight into perspective medical fields.</p>

<p>GOOD LUCK PRE MEDS!</p>

2

<p>Although not pre-med myself, my major is heavily dominated by pre-meds and I also have a lot of pre-med friends. Therefore, I am (painfully) familiar with all of the premed requirements. I thought that the order of the requirements that you listed is a little interesting. Most of the students I have talked to have taken the reqs in this order:</p>

<p>First year = gen chem + gen chem lab
Second year = organic lec + organic lab, bio lec + bio lab
Third year = physics lec + physics lab</p>

<p>At UVA, intro bio (especially intro bio lab) is EXTREMELY hard to get into as a first-year unless you have Echols or other early registration benefits. General chemistry/gen chem lab, on the other hand, is heavily dominated by first-years.</p>

<p>Anyways, just thought I would share my two cents.</p>